Personal Story That Speaks To Bipolar Sufferers

Author Preston Carr Northcraft shares his experiences with bipolar disorder in hopes of helping other sufferers in ‘Growing up Bipolar’

In his memoir, Growing up Bipolar: Conquering the Mental Illness, young author Preston Carr Northcraft gives sufferers of bipolar disorder a hopeful story of overcoming the debilitating despair of the illness, as well as the comfort of knowing that they are not alone.

Northcraft wrote Growing up Bipolar with others afflicted with the illness in mind, and specifically targets younger readers as his audience. Familiar with the territory of being a teen sufferer of bipolar disorder himself, Northcraft writes in a way that speaks directly to older children and teens, in a voice that they will identify with and relate to.
Northcraft’s problems with bipolar disorder began to present themselves in middle school, but it would be several years before he received an official diagnosis at the age of fifteen. In the meantime, his difficulties only became more debilitating, lending themselves to Northcraft’s increasing sense of difficulty and alienation from his peers. The diagnosis provided him with relief and understanding, and started him on the long and difficult journey towards acceptance and recovery.
Growing up Bipolar stresses the importance of early and proper diagnosis, with the author stating, “Being diagnosed is very important, but for most people it does not happen until later in life”. He recalls the day he received his diagnosis as “the day I felt I became truly free”.
Northcraft’s book is also extremely helpful for those who have a family member or loved one who struggles with bipolar disorder, as it provides genuinely helpful insight into the mind of a bipolar individual and will help family members understand the extreme emotions and behaviors of those who are bipolar.
An inspiring and heart-wrenchingly vivid account of one young man who found his way out of the darkness of bipolar disorder, Growing up Bipolar is an excellent book for younger individuals who feel alone in their suffering and for those who want to understand them.

Preston C. Northcraft
Northcraft draws inspiration from other authors who suffer from bipolar disorder and hopes to reach out to others who suffer from the same troubles he did. He grew up in Oklahoma City and lives there to this day. He is 24 years old, and this is his first book, although he has several more in the works and hopes to one day become a successful fiction writer.